Clam Chowder
Clam chowder is something that not many people make at home, but it’s easier than you think. This is a hearty soup that’s made all in one pot! To make it during Lent, you can leave out the bacon and substitute the chicken bullion and broth for vegetable broth and bullion cube. This is so good, you’ll think it came from a restaurant!
Ingredients
- ½ lb. bacon chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups Half and Half
- 1 ¼ lbs. potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp. dried parsley
- ¼ tsp. dried thyme
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- 3 6.5 oz. cans chopped clams, juices reserved
- 8 oz. clam juice
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, leaving about 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease. Add onions and celery to pot and cook for 5-6 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and half and half, stirring continuously. Stir in the potatoes, bouillon, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add the juice from the canned clams to the soup and the additional 8 ounces of clam juice. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once potatoes are tender, stir in the clams and let them heat through, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Top with the reserved bacon and serve up with some oyster crackers on top!